The infamous anti-drug cult classic Reefer Madness is one of those timeless over-the-top films that has gained notoriety for all the oh so very right and wrong reasons over the years. But for better or worse, the so-bad-that-it’s-good cinema classic is the appropriate movie to be screened within the Eraserhood, especially when there’s a live orchestra doing an adaptation of the score. Led by professional Moog-endorsed concert thereminist, Mano Divina, The Divine Hand Ensemble is a one of a kind eight-piece orchestra that has an enchanting way of bridging the divide between classical music and the people who need to hear it. And before they take the stage to accompany Reefer Madness, they will be on hand to perform live scores to vintage animated shorts as well. PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th St., 8pm, $10, All Ages – Bill McThrill
Cool Points Staying True at Everybody Hits March 21
Cools Points have been staying true to their namesake, and gaining some for the past couple of years by playing badass basement shows and touring with the likes of Mumblr, Amanda X, and Bleeding Fractals. And the DIY outfit has also been gaining ears by playing fast-paced noise-punk anthems like Crucial Turds and Not Your Bro. Tonight’s show at Everybody Hits will be business as usual for the hard-hitting four-piece. It will be headlined by shoegaze-y four-piece Ghost Gum, and will also feature the newest punk-pop project from Dangerous Ponies expats Chrissy Tashjian, Kyle Pulley, and Mike Tashjian, Thins Lips. Everybody Hits, 529 W. Girard Ave., 7PM, $5, All Ages – Bill McThrill
Weekend Warrior, March 20 – 22
New Track: “Museum Pass (Small Professor LSD Mix)” – Dewey Decibel
Emecee/producer/visual artist Dewey Decibel dropped a new EP, A Different Drum, earlier this year via World Around Records. It was produced by Zilla Rocca, who is one of his partners in crime in the hip-hop collective, Wrecking Crew. Another member of their gang, Small Professor, also just shared his hallucinogenic, boom-bap interpretation of the track "Museum Pass," which is also available for streaming.
New Music Video: “FRIENDS” – Cyberbully Mom Club
Below is a new music video from Cyberbully Mom Club for the single "FRIENDS." It’s Shari Heck’s first time recording with a backing band. The video was directed by Mike Williams and Ryan Bender. Cyberbully Mom Club will be performing on Tuesday, April 7 at Johnny Brenda’s, and they recently released a new EP entitled Footwear.
New Track: “Somethin’ Wicked (Gothic Moment)” – A Sunny Day in Glasgow
Bi-continental outfit A Sunny Day in Glasgow quietly released a new single yesterday entitled "Somethin’ Wicked (Gothic Moment)." Angelic female vocals waft in as a guitar riff lays down an infectious groove before airy synths take you away to another time, another place. The soundscape eventually gives way to shimmering yet abrasive electronics that dissolve into the ether. (Photo by Zoe Jet Elis)
Red Bull Sound Select w/Pissed Jeans, Amanda X, Cheerbleeders & More at Underground Arts March 19
Red Bull Sound Select is presenting this evening’s show, curated by Jump Philly, at Underground Arts, making it feel like this weekend has started a day early. The unforgiving sledgehammer of sound that is Pissed Jeans headline. The four-piece consistently brings a menacing attack of hardcore noise. That adrenaline oozing with an unrelenting sinister style can divide and conquer any room. It’s that commanding sense of heavy instrumental artillery that involuntarily allows you to submit, accepting that downhill smack of backend, guitar that sears and stabs, and that primal order of vocals. The garage-pop trio of Amanda X cleanly enters your head as their lyrically contagious songs are surrounded by a united surge of refined grit. The dark buzzing, bass-popping punk of The Abandos and Cheerbleeders‘ speed-cruising, fuzzy fun set the groundwork for a barrage of music that you’ll want to go into battle with. Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., $10 ($3 with RSVP), 8pm, 21+ – Michael Colavita
New Music Video: “Clap” (Feat. Freddie Gibbs, Chill Moody & Apollo The Great) – Mr. Green
New Jersey producer/DJ Mr. Green has been grinding it out in the local hip-hop scene for years now, impressively churning beats and refining his craft. We can still remember him handing us his business card at Silk City in the early years of The Deli Philly. Well, in his latest music video for the track "Clap," you can see how the talented sound sculptor brings together recorded samples from his street adventures to create such a smooth, badass jam for one of our favorite contemporary emcees, Freddie Gibbs, local rising star Chill Moody, and Apollo The Great to lay down some serious bars over. You can can find this single on his forthcoming LP Live From The Streets, which is due out on April 7 via Duck Down Music.
Free Download: “July 22nd” (Demo) – Mercury Girls
The new quartet of Mercury Girls unites Kevin Attics & Chris Schackerman of Literature with Adrianne Gold (Tender Vision) and Carolyn Haynes (Ghost Gum) formerly of Catnaps/When I Was 12. “ July 22nd,” of half their recently released demos, floats a dialogue of vocals, and pushes it with steady-handed combination of bass and drums as a jangly guitar cuts through, giving the song an 80’s Brit-pop vibe. You can catch Mercury Girls on Saturday, April 11 at Bourbon & Branch.
The Extraordinaires – Just What the Doctor Ordered at The Pharmacy March 18
Sometimes making a run to the Pharmacy mid-week can be just what the doctor ordered; such is the case this evening. The Extraordinaires open the show with their patented concoction of horn-laced folky pop. Grabbing a piece of lively nostalgia and offering an updated and at times, quirky augmentation, the band delivers precise compositions with an ever-inviting casually loose feel. That measured layered atmosphere utilizes natural harmonies and an array of instrumentation to create warm breezy invigorating tunes that stick to you as you wander through the reawakened outdoors. A pair of Massachusetts outfits will join in on the fun. The genre-spanning, jazz-infused folk of Mal Devisa pulls you in close, while the space-y, lo-fi rock of Wydyde, a.k.a. Van Kolodin, sets you comfortably adrift. The experimental multimedia musical discovery of Indira Valey, a.k.a. Valerie Perczek, completes the evening as she invites you into her sonic laboratory. The Pharmacy (Please Contact One of the Acts or Venue for More Info), $7, 7pm, All Ages – Michael Colavita
New Track: “Mysterion” – The Yetis
On The Yetis‘ official debut release "Little Surfer Girl"/"Warm California," the four-piece found that sweet spot where you could feel the ocean breeze roll gently in on the waves of the group’s retro 60’s beach-pop sounds. The band reconnected once again with Fancy Time Studio’s Kyle "Slick" Johnson to record its latest single "Mysterion," a panty-dropping, radio/soundtrack-ready number. The track will appear on The Yetis’ upcoming three-song EP Lonely Tandem Ride.
Debut Good Education EP Available for Streaming & Download
Besides helping other local artists like Cayetana and Cave People produce their own albums, Three Man Cannon‘s Matt Schimelfenig has a new solo project of his own. He’s currently recording under the moniker Good Education, and just released his debut self-titled EP. You can stream and download the three psyched-out/indie-pop tunes below.